Low Budget is the eighteenth studio album by English rock group the Kinks, released in 1979. Following the minor success of their 1978 album Misfits, the band recorded the majority of the album in New York rather than London. Unlike the more nostalgic themes of many Kinks albums prior to Low Budget, many of the album's songs allude to contemporaneous events. Musically, the album is a continuation of the band's "arena rock" phase, resulting in a more rock-based sound and more modern production techniques. Despite being a relative failure in the UK, Low Budget was a great success for the group in the US both critically and commercially, not only becoming their best-selling non-compilation album but also peaking at number 11 on the American album charts. The lead single, "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman", was also a minor hit in the US, reaching number 41. Background After spending the majority of the 1970s focusing on lofty concept albums, such as the two-part Preservation album, the Kinks began to lose the commercial success they had regained with their 1970 hit single "Lola". However, upon switching from RCA Records to Arista Records in the summer of 1976, the band gradually began to regain commercial success in America. Abandoning the conceptual work they had created during their RCA years, the band's 1977 album Sleepwalker and 1978 album Misfits were both modest hits in the United States, as were the respective first singles, "Sleepwalker" and "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy". However, throughout this period, the band's lineup began to fluctuate, not only with both bassist John Dalton (and his short-term replacement Andy Pyle) and keyboardist John Gosling departing from the band, but founding drummer Mick Avory also considered leaving. Avory eventually agreed to stay, while ex-Argent bass player Jim Rodford, and keyboardist Gordon John Edwards were recruited, the latter having played with the Pretty Things on their album Silk Torpedo. Edwards was shortly afterwards fired from the group for failing to show up to sessions for Low Budget (although he recorded piano on at least one of the album's tracks), being replaced with Ian Gibbons following the album's release. Recording Recording for Low Budget began in early 1979 at the band's own Konk Studios in London, where "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman", the result of Arista founder Clive Davis's request for a radio-friendly hit, and the album's title track were cut. After